GAUDY OR GRINCHY?

Councils reveal their decoration bills

It’s ‘‘happy Christmas one and all’’ from the Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin councils, but a big ‘‘bah humbug’’ from Auckland and Hamilton.

Figures from councils across the country show spending on Christmas decorations varies widely, from nothing at all to thousands every year.

The council that spent the most was Dunedin City Council, which has spent $661,020 since 2001.

Christchurch City Council came in next, with $351,873 spent since 2014.

Several councils, including Auckland Council and many regional councils, had no expenditure on decorations, though some gave community grants to organisations that provided them.

Of those that spent something, Waikato District Council was the grinchiest, splashing out $33.91 on council foyer decorations since 2014. However, it approved a $4099.94 grant to a Lions Club for decorations during that time.

In November, all 78 councils were asked to say how much they spent on Christmas decorations over the past three years. All but three have now provided some sort of response, though the timeframes vary.

Overall, just over $4 million has been spent across the 75 councils that replied, with some data going back as far as 1999.

In many cases, expenditure included installation, removal and maintenance costs.

Kaiko¯ura District Council, Horizons Regional Council and Waikato Regional Council did not formally respond within the 20 working days stipulated under the terms of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act.

Of the responses received, some councils gave information dating back decades, whereas some provided information for only one particular year. Because of this, it cannot be said which council was the biggest spender since 2014.

The district council with the highest expenditure was Timaru, which spent $333,897 on decorations since 2014, putting it behind only Dunedin and Christchurch. Wellington City Council was fourth, spending $287,401 since 2014.

Invercargill City Council was close behind at No 5, spending $204,790 since 2015.

Rounding out the top 10 are Hutt City Council, which spent $164,300 since 2014; Horowhenua District Council, which spent $156,121 since 2010; Marlborough District Council, which spent $148,890 since 2011; Nelson City Council, which spent $143,200 since 2015; and Whakatane District Council, which spent $120,000 since 2015.

Masterton District Council spent $104,074 since 2016, and Upper Hutt City Council spent $103,241 since 2014.